The spinach has bolted (as of June 27)! Thanks to unusually hot and dry June weather. June is typically rainy and cool in Calgary (last few years at least). I read (after the bolting) that placing mulch on the soil around the spinach can help reduce bolting (keeps soil cooler during hot afternoons). I added some grass clippings to see if this might slow the bolting, though likely too late now to measure the effect.Some varieties of spinach (such as Tyee) are not supposed to bolt as easily. This Bloomsdale Spinach variety has bolted after about two weeks of harvesting. Good reminder to plant a variety of crops since the weather is unpredictable from year to year! However, we have still harvested a generous quantity to date, including freezing some. We'll see how much more we get.
P.S. I pulled the seed heads off the spinach before the photo, hence the funny top. I thought this might slow the bolting, but from what I read it doesn't seem like it will do much.
ReplyDeleteI will let the rest go to seed so we'll grow spinach weeds next year instead of all those other whatever-their-called weeds... some of which might be edible, just not sure which ones (yet).
Not sure if my comment posting worked... I am growing #7 spinach and it hasn't bolted yet and tastes great. I do have some shade in my garden though.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: Where did you purchase your #7 Spinach seeds?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous is back... Sunnyside Greenhouse has a Bow Valley Seeds rack. Still no bolting on Spinach I planted in early May but it is time to retire it and plant something else there. PS I am anonymous on your blog too. You gave me advice on watering veggies.
ReplyDeleteWhoops getting blogs mixed up. Ignore my PS
ReplyDeleteI am also growing Perpetual Spinach, which is actually chard, but looks and tastes similar to spinach and doesn't bolt. I have been sold on Bloomsdale several times, each time forgetting how fast it bolts.
ReplyDelete